The present invention relates to lids for containers, and particularly to hingeless lids. More particularly, the invention relates to hingeless lids the are movable substantially without frictional resistance from a closed position to an open position, but which encounter frictional resistance to movement from the open position to the closed position.
In certain applications, such as children's toy boxes, it is important to avoid free-falling lids that can injure a child. In fact, voluntary toy standards, adhered to by most toy manufacturers, dictate that a hinged lid will not free fall. Of course, it is desirable to follow the voluntary standard in the case of hingeless lids as well.
Various approaches have been tried to reduce the likelihood of freefalling hingeless lids. For example, conventional hingeless lids have been rotated to an open position where they drop into a slot or opening in the top of the toy box. Dropping the lid into the slot provides a mechanical interlock that keeps the lid in the open position. In order to close the toy box, the lid must be lifted out of the slot before it can be rotated to the closed position, so that simply bumping into the lid will not cause the lid to fall. Unfortunately, children have had difficulty lifting, and therefore closing, such a hingeless lid. As a result, the toy boxes have remained open until parents closed the lid. While closing the lid is not difficult for a parent, it is sometimes inconvenient. A better approach would provide a lid that can be easily closed by a child while simultaneously reducing the likelihood of a freefalling lid.